


Where the lovelight gleams

by ailurish



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Christmas, Dreamsharing, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Mysterious Tower (Kingdom Hearts), Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28325772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ailurish/pseuds/ailurish
Summary: For the first time he can remember, Riku is excited for Christmas - because he gets to spend it with Sora, their first year together as a couple. When Sora gets delayed in Arendelle, they may only be able to celebrate in dreams. But what's Christmas without a miracle?
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 46





	Where the lovelight gleams

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays, everyone! This year, Christmas is a little different for everyone. I had fun working on this fic, and I hope this helps bring you a little more joy as well!

“There’s an empty spot right up there! It’s not my fault you’re short.”

“It’s not about how much room is left, _Lea_. You don’t put flowers on a Christmas Tree!”

“Shows how much you know. In Radiant Garden, we do. Aerith did not spend months growing these for you to be a giant baby about it.”

Roxas opens his mouth to argue, but Naminé says, “I think the flowers are pretty,” and he shuts his jaw with a clack of teeth.

“ _Thank you_ , Naminé,” Xion says heartily. “I was gonna hit ‘em both with Sleep if they didn’t quit bickering.”

Naminé smiles, sickeningly sweet in a way that makes Riku sure he never wants to be on her bad side. Xion gives her a high five.

“I think I remember this,” says Kairi, taking one of the large white blooms from Lea’s hand. “Christmas Rose.”

“See? This one gets it!”

So the flowers go up on the tree. They do look pretty beside the holly berries.

As Christmas trees go, the only way to describe this one is grand. The Mysterious Tower itself had magicked up a room adjacent to the Entryway just to house the massive evergreen. When Yen Sid had stooped under the doorway to peek in, he'd mentioned that he hadn't seen this particular room, the Grand Hall, in too many years to remember.

Riku is sure that it must be due to Sora's holiday enthusiasm. With their lives in relative peace for the first time in years, he’d wanted nothing more than to have a huge Christmas celebration and invite all their friends. With him and Riku spending most of their downtime in the Tower, learning from Yen Sid’s wisdom, they’d decided to hold the festivities here. The Tower has an easy enough time accommodating as many or as few people as who wish to stay. At present, the Twilight Town gang are all here — Roxas, Lea, and Xion, plus Naminé, and Kairi had come back from the Land of Departure to spend the week of Christmas here. Christmas Day will be the largest gathering as the rest of Departure’s residents are set to arrive, plus the crew from Radiant Garden, and even Hayner, Pence, and Olette will be arriving on the Ghost Train. Sora had spent hours using his Gummiphone to invite everyone and coordinate snacks and meals.

But that was before the call had come in from Arendelle just two days before Christmas Eve. There was a problem with the elemental magic there that Elsa hoped Sora could help with, and he'd agreed to take Donald and Goofy to check it out, swearing to be back as soon as he could.

"Plus," Sora had said as they climbed into bed the night before he left, "it will be our first Christmas… you know… _together_ ," and Riku had lain awake for long minutes thinking about the word 'first'.

Christmas was never Riku’s favorite holiday if he were to be honest, but with Sora’s infectious enthusiasm, he was looking forward to it.

The only problem was Sora’s continued absence.

Immediately after the trio arrived in Arendelle, Riku had begun to receive photo after photo of Arendelle’s legendary Christmas market, which Sora, Donald, and Goofy had strolled through on their way to the castle. Soon after, the messages were all about a place called Northunldra and a fire spirit that had mysteriously lost its ability to make fire. This morning, Riku had awoken to a message saying only, > _I might be late…_

And then nothing. For hours. The others agreed to wait for Sora as long as they could, but eventually they decided that the tree would just be a surprise for him when he returned. A thank you for all the work he’d done to organize for the holiday (even though Riku knew that this would have been one of Sora’s favorite events.)

Waiting to hear back from Sora had left Riku feeling restless. After catching him staring blankly at the tree for too long, bauble in hand, Naminé had suggested he help her string popcorn for garland. Brooms danced in and out of the room carrying still-popping tins of popcorn, and when it became clear that the project was too tedious for two, Xion had joined in to help.

Then Sora had called and the news was bad. Riku had scrambled up from the floor when his Gummiphone finally rang, crushing popcorn underfoot as he went. Sora looked utterly disappointed when Riku accepted the call, Sora's mouth turned down at the corners and his brows drawn. Even his hair seemed to droop with it.

“I just don’t think we’ll make it,” he’d said, eyes darting to the side; Riku could hear Goofy’s _“Gawrsh, Riku, we’re real sorry,”_ even though Sora’s companions were off-screen.

 _“There’s always next year!”_ Donald squawked.

“Donald!” Sora whined. “You’re not helping!”

_“Oh…”_

With a sigh, Sora walked a short distance away so they could chat privately. “Listen,” he started, “I have an idea. I’m gonna crash like the second we’re done here, I was thinking I could call you before I fall asleep. Then you’ll know when I’m dreaming, and we can meet up there!”

Riku had tried his best to keep disappointment out of his tone. He loved meeting Sora in his dreams; he wasn’t picky about _how_ he spent his time with Sora. As long as they were together, Riku wouldn’t take it for granted.

But he’d wanted Sora to have Christmas at the Tower. He’d wanted to wake up here beside him, to share Christmas morning with him. Frankly, he missed him. Sometimes not even dreams were enough.

“That sounds great, Sora,” he’d told him, and Sora had perked up.

“Okay! Cool! So, you remember when I told you about the Christmas Market yesterday? I thought, this way, we can explore it together. I can dream it up much better than I could explain it. And pictures don’t do it justice! The cold air… the music… the smell of freshly baked cookies! Hot chocolate just tastes better when it’s snowy.”

He’d said the last matter-of-fact, which Riku had agreed with, although he wasn’t sure he’d had that particular experience yet. He’d take Sora’s word for it.

So, they would make do. Sora would try to make it back in time for Christmas dinner, and Riku would make sure Sora would never feel his disappointment.

 _There’s always next year_ , Donald had said. Riku watched Xion and Naminé carry their popcorn garland over to the tree and begin to wind it around the branches, weaving it here and there behind all the magical lights and baubles. Was there always next year? Riku hadn’t yet settled into the idea that Sora would always be within reach.

Soon enough, the tree is trimmed. The sky around the Tower has become as dark as it ever gets: deep purples and reds of a sun just about to dip below the horizon, shadowed clouds roaming lazily around ground level under a navy sky dotted with stars. It’s enough darkness that the lights on the Christmas tree gave off a quiet, pretty glow.

“Anything?” Kairi whispers near Riku’s shoulder.

“He’s not coming. Tomorrow night, hopefully.” It’s difficult to say around the hollow feeling in his chest.

“Oh, no,” she says, leaning gently into his side. “We’re going to miss him. Maybe we should postpone Christmas a day?”

“I don’t think that’s quite the same thing, Kai,” Lea cuts in, voice sympathetic. “Anything we can do to help?”

Riku shakes his head. “Don’t think so, not at this stage.”  
Kairi sighs. She leans up to kiss his cheek and Riku leans down to meet her. “Get some sleep, okay?”

“Sure. Thanks, Kairi.”

Then, yawning, they all file out of the Grand Hall. Riku ascends the winding staircase, listening to Roxas and Lea bicker quietly a turn or two above him.

He pushes his way into the room he and Sora share. The fairy lights strung up around the window are pretty, but not nearly as breathtaking as the tree had been.

And still Sora hasn’t called. Riku paces in front of the bed for a few minutes, then stops, feeling foolish. He pulls up the message screen.

> _Sora?_  
> It’s _late here._

He waits until the screen goes blank with disuse. “Probably fell asleep without me,” he says to the empty room. Well. He had looked pretty tired.

> _If you get this, I’m going to sleep. I’ll look out for you._

Riku drifts fitfully into sleep and doesn’t settle for long, aimless hours. He searches through a haze, reaching for dreams that aren’t his own until finally he’s pulled, as if by a hand reaching through the current, and drops into a landscape that solidifies around him as a blanket of snow. Sora. A breeze drifts through, bracingly cold and grounding.

“Hey!” says Sora on a laugh, suddenly there and curling gloved fingers into the thick coat now covering Riku’s arms, pulling a little on the fabric as if to steady himself. He seems breathless, cheeks pink and rough from windburn under Riku’s thumbs when he’s unable to stop himself from reaching for him, saying, “Sora, are you okay?”

“Yeah! Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“You didn’t call.”

“Ah…” Sora takes a short step back, enough that Riku drops his hands. “About that, I’m… my timing was a little… off. Sorry.” He sets a hand at the back of his head, chagrined.

It’s not an answer, not even close, but Riku knows he’ll figure it out with a little patience. He takes a closer look at the landscape, turning his head from the wind that’s at Sora’s back, causing the fur-trimmed hood of Sora’s coat to flatten up against the back of his hair. It’s just a snowfield, empty save for some evergreens far enough away that they do little to protect them from the winter winds.

“What’s this?” Riku asks, gesturing around them. “I expected a Christmas market.”

“The market!” Sora bounces the heel of his hand off his forehead. “Shoot, yeah, I didn’t really think about it when I fell asleep. This is just…”

“Arendelle.” Unsurprising, considering that Sora has spent a few days there, and is likely curled up in the castle at the moment. “Well, at least the theme is right?”

“Not much to do though! Super boring, maybe we should just wake up.”

Riku frowns. Wake up? He’d rather be here, in an empty snowfield with Sora, than alone in Departure. He opens his mouth to argue, but there’s a familiar grin on Sora’s face that gives him pause. Riku narrows his eyes. “What are you hiding?”

Sora laughs again, stepping back into Riku’s space. “Wake up, Riku.”

"You first."

Sora's grin only widens. The trees in the distance become a little more indistinct, the landscape dissolving into color and light as Sora wakes up, tugging Riku along with him.

He blinks awake, groggy and confused. Then, the bed shifts beside him.

“Sora?!”

He’s here. Somehow, despite everything, Sora is _here_ , still fully clothed save for his shoes, grinning up at Riku like the Cheshire cat in Wonderland, and just as full of riddles. “Surprise!”

Riku props himself up on an elbow and, before giving himself the chance to think, leans down to kiss that smiling face. Sora makes a soft noise of surprise.

“Hello,” Sora says when Riku pulls back, his smile turned shy, cheeks gently pink in a blush that Riku only wants to see darken.

Instead of acting on _that_ thought, he asks, "What happened? You said you wouldn't make it tonight.”

"Well, after I called you, Elsa figured out what was causing the fire spirit to lose his flame. So we didn’t need to keep supplying it with magic anymore, but by then it was too late to - “

“Hold on. You were supplying it with magical energy the whole time?”

Sora looks chagrined. He also looks more exhausted in person than he had on the Gummiphone screen. “We couldn’t let it die! Between me and Donald, we could’ve charged up his flame with our magic. That’s why we had to stay. But we kept having to stop to recharge _our_ magic, and it was taking forever. I never want to even look at an Ether again.” He pulls a face.

Riku sighs, settling onto his side. Sora shifts closer. “Anyway, by the time Elsa fixed things and the little guy had all his fire again, it was still too late to get here. That’s why I didn’t call when we got onto the Gummiship. But _then_ , Donald called Daisy to tell her he’d miss Christmas, too, and Daisy was really not happy about _that_. So we flew to Disney Castle instead, and when we got there, Donald’s sister said she had a ship that could get us here really fast.”

Riku processes this. “Wait. Donald has a sister?”

“Uh, yeah, didn’t you know? She’s called Della. You’d love her.”

“Hm. So she has something that can travel faster than a Gummiship?”

“I didn’t believe it either, but compared to Della, _my_ flying seems perfectly careful. Anyway, I decided I’d surprise you. Did it work?”

“Best Christmas present I ever got,” Riku says, and means it wholeheartedly. Sora smiles at him softly in the glow of the fairy lights.

“Good. I’m so glad I made it.”

“Did you look at the tree on your way up?”

“Tree?”

Riku grins. “Oh, you’ve gotta see this.”

Sora’s eyes light up. He rolls off the bed with very little grace, then extends a hand to help Riku.

“Let’s go see.”

The Tower kindly offers only two short flights down to the Grand Hall, where the tree stands, still softly illuminating the room with its strings of magical lights. Sora’s excited gait slows down once he enters, head tipped back to take in the view. “Woah…”

Riku watches Sora look for long moments he would be embarrassed about if he weren’t still convincing himself this was real. Sora doesn’t seem to take notice. His eyes gleam in the gentle glow. Maybe the others had had a point — it was worth the time spent decorating just for this moment.

“Riku, it’s beautiful.”

“We all pitched in. The Tower could have done it magically, but it was more fun to decorate all together.”

“I’m sad I missed it. There’s so much to look at! Ornaments and ribbon and flowers and… ooh, presents!”

Presents? Sure enough, a pile of wrapped gifts sat beneath the wide bower of the tree. “Those weren’t there before,” Riku says with certainty. “Who…?”

Sora leans in an stage-whispers, “ _Santa._ ”

Riku makes a face. It sends Sora into giggles. “Don’t worry, Santa put you back on the Nice List! I’m sure there’s something there for you.”

Turning his gaze back to the tree, Sora falls again into silence. Riku thinks back to that Christmas when he told Sora the truth—what he thought was the truth—about Santa. It was the first year he wouldn’t see Sora at the Christmas bonfire. He wouldn’t see Sora at all, but Sora hadn’t seemed to mind. When he’d wondered aloud about how Santa was going to find him at his Aunt’s house on the far side of the island, Riku had been genuinely surprised that Sora still thought Santa was real. So he’d told him as much. That Santa was made up, and his parents would bring the presents, and how didn’t Sora know that? He regrets it now.

Sora takes a step or two backward, breaking Riku of his memories. He sits down right there on the floor, gaze still glued to the tree. Riku follows suit. It’s not stargazing, but it’s just as familiar.

But Riku’s thoughts won’t stay in the present. “Do you remember those Christmas parties my parents used to have every Christmas Eve?”

“Oh, yeah! I was so jealous, you always had those huge trees. And they were real! Ours was just that little thing.”

Riku smiles a little thinking about ‘that little thing.’ It fit on a tabletop and was full of handmade ornaments that Sora had made over the years. A few of them even sported Riku’s own name.

“I hated those parties,” he confesses.

“You did?”

“My parents didn’t throw them for kids. There wasn’t even anything for me to do but be shown off by my parents. I would usually try to hide until they were over.”

"Oh," Sora says, voice low and a little sad. "So that's why you hated Christmas."

Riku glances at him sideways. Sora doesn’t look back, graze trained on the tree, but his expression is concerned. "It's not that I hated it. I always looked forward to the bonfire." The Destiny Islands throws a bonfire near the boardwalk on Christmas day, the fire reaching high into the air, surrounded by most of the town as they talked, ate, and reminisced about the past year. Riku can recall the sense memory of burying his toes in the cold sand while the fire kept the rest of him warm. "It was just… lonely. I always wanted something more. Christmas in that big house surrounded by adults who didn't care about me wasn't something I looked forward to."

"Riku… I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's just that this year is different. A lot of things are different." He turns his head to catch Sora's eye. "So, I'm glad you're here. I didn't like my old traditions. I want to make new ones. With all our friends, but most of all, with you."

"We will," Sora says fervently. He reaches between them to grasp at Riku's hand. "Together, we will, and I promise you'll love it."

"Sora. I already do."

"Good. But not the part where I get stuck off-world and almost miss the whole thing, let's not make that a tradition," Sora adds, and they share a laugh before lapsing again into a comfortable silence, pressed together at the shoulder.

Minutes pass, then, "Oh! You're here!" comes a hushed voice from the hall. Kairi is leaning in the doorway, wearing a set of pink pajamas patterned with tiny candy canes. Pluto pokes his nose around her legs, shimmying side-to-side from the force of his tail wags.

Sora perks up, waving at her enthusiastically. He carries on the conversation in the same hushed tone. "Yep! I surprised Riku, you should've seen his face!"

She hides a giggle in her fist, then turns a smile on Riku. "A Christmas miracle " she says and winks. "Sora, will you make Christmas dinner?"

"Sure, if everyone helps!"

"Good, because I don't think even I'm polite enough to pretend Lea's cooking isn't burnt. Good night, you two!"

"Merry Christmas, Kairi!" Sora says as Riku waves. She turns and disappears, Pluto hot on her heels.

They watch her go, still turned toward the doorway, and after a moment Sora drops his forehead onto Riku's shoulder.

"We should get to bed, too," Riku suggests.

But Sora makes a sleepy protest. "Nooo. It's good here. I get you all to myself."

Riku chuckles, warmth blooming in his chest at Sora’s words. "You'll get me to yourself in our room, too."

Sora lifts his head, propping his chin on Riku's shoulder instead. "Do you still wanna dream up the market?"

"If you're not too tired."

"'M not tired," he says, then leans in for a kiss as if to prove it.

As if Riku could deny him _that_. It should be uncomfortable the way they're twisted together, but it's not. They sit there for a while trading kisses. Now that he's looking for it, Riku can taste traces of the Ethers Sora claimed to have taken, slightly mollified to learn he'd topped off his magic as promised.

Not that it's unpleasant. It's Sora, and warmth glowing steadily in Riku’s chest as bright as the star atop the Christmas tree. When Sora finally pulls away, tucking a yawn in Riku's collar, Riku is almost embarrassed to find himself slightly breathless. He runs a hand up Sora's back to tangle his fingertips in the hair at the back of his head, enjoying the way Sora shivers a little at the touch.

"This is the best Christmas," Sora mumbles.

"Why's that?"

"'Cos I get to kiss you. And all my friends are here." He lifts his head again to grin sleepily. "How great is that?"

"It's pretty great," Riku agrees.

Sora does have a point - in the morning the Tower will be bustling with noise again and they probably won't have a minute alone. But they really should get to sleep now, especially if Sora still wants to share a dream.

"C'mon," Riku says, helping Sora to his feet. They cast one final look at the tree, then leave the twinkling lights and head back upstairs.

The market turns out to be exactly as wonderful as Sora had described. And there was a gift for Riku under the tree: a pair of fur-lined winter boots, which made Sora laugh, explaining that he kept giving Santa the excuse that Riku wouldn’t visit Christmas Town because he didn’t have winter clothes.

The Tower is full of noise and light and people for the whole day. It’s hard to split his time between everyone he wants to catch up with, especially when Mickey surprises everyone by dropping in for a visit and bringing the Disney Castle court along with him, but just hearing Sora’s voice from across the room or catching him looking at Riku in the midst of conversation was enough.

And from this year on, the small, quiet hours before the sunrise would always belong to the two of them, a Christmas tree, and a beautiful dream.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on twitter @hello_deer!


End file.
